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LeDaren Resort
The LeDaren Resort & Casino is largely considered the best gambling establishment in the galaxy, and its accommodations have been granted an eight-star rating by the Luxus Hotel Institution. It maintains over two hundred gambling parlors and two thousand luxury suites and apartments, and is frequented by social elites such as painter Anthony Hawkins, Austen Khortex, actress Vera Nurasia, and Derek Brown. All facilities are located six hundred meters beneath the barren, rocky surface of Centauri II, in the Alpha Centauri system. History Construction The LeDaren Resort & Casino was first conceived in 403 by Michael LeDaren, at that time a student at Cetia University on Tau Prime. He graduated with a dual-degree in probability and accounting, and worked for three years as an accountant for Linori Bankers while searching for someone willing to invest in his idea and offer him startup capital. One day he shared his idea with a co-worker, and as a result the VP of the company ended up hearing about it. He called LeDaren in for a meeting, and he subsequently ended up with the backing he needed to launch his company and begin looking for a contractor who could build what he wanted. The basic construction of the facility was awarded to Ironwood Contractors, who carved a deep shaft into the surface of Centauri II. A huge starship hangar was the first thing to be completed, followed shortly by a basic atmospheric recycler. An artificial gravity generator was installed beneath the complex in order to bring the local gravity up from Centauri II's low level to a 1G standard. The gambling rooms, bars, security facilities, resort accommodations and amenities followed in succession, and LeDaren proceeded to furnish and decorate the facilities with the best items he could afford. Before opening to the public, however, he proceeded to launch a long and pervasive advertising campaign, aimed primarily at the upper class population. His campaign was so successful and induced such media hype that when the establishment opened on October 1, 409, it attracted huge numbers and was able to recoup nearly 1% of its approximiately €5 billion construction costs in the first 24 hours. Imperial Visit Rebecca Windsor II, Empress of the Terran Imperium, made a much-publicized visit to the LeDaren from January 16-21, in 463. The Empress received both criticism and praise for the trip. Some condemned her for socializing and even gambling with the likes of Carl Gordon, the most notorious pirate of the area, and even more for spending the Imperium's money on such a venture. Others saw it as a move toward evening out Imperial society, lessening the focus on the nobility and perhaps showing that the Empress was sensitive to the issues of Everyman. The Empress made little comment on the excursion, saying only that whatever money she gambled with was drawn from her own personal accounts, and pointed out that the elites of Imperial society often frequented the establishment. But some historians claim that despite her protests, the event contributed toward her declining position among the Imperial nobility, leading toward her eventual usurpation by Caria Selronis. Regardless of the political impact of the visit, the casino rolled out the red carpet as never before, and though its revenue from the Empress herself was negligible, the free publicity it received far outweighed any inconveniences suffered. Facilities & Gambling The LeDaren offers visitors the opportunity to experience gaming in over two hundred gambling parlors, of various game types and stake-levels. An entry fee of 100 euroes is charged across the board, and parlors with medium-stakes and up require buy-ins. Non-table games are located in a single large hall, while parlors are reserved for a single type of game at a single level of betting; for example, a parlor would be set aside for high-stakes kanyu poker, another for medium-stakes blackjack, another for VIP American Roulette, and so on. The casino's VIP lounges are among its most well-known features. They require a buy-in of fifty thousand euros per game, but the house takes no further percentage or cut of any winnings or pot. Starships are often wagered here, along with other items such as maglevs, vacations, real estate, and other properties of a highly valuable nature, in addition to the ever-present euro. The highest wager ever placed in the LeDaren (and to public knowledge, the galaxy) was for a sum of 14,372,000,001 euros, between Athena Khortex and Ridaru Lirogen. The bet didn't involve a game, but rather which freighter would sell better: Khortex Fleet Systems' ''Stardust III''-class medium freighter, or Bralakk Shipyards' Summara-XA medium freighter. The outcome resulted in Khortex's favor, with the ''Stardust III ''selling in numbers far above Bralakk's. The defeat was embarrassing for Bralakk, but resulted in no long-term effects on the company's sales. Security While the LeDaren does maintain a large security force with few limits on what actions they are permitted to exercise on the job, it rarely has need of any serious measures due largely to its construction. Not only do ships need clearance from the establishment to leave the hangar, but there are several laser batteries positioned at the mouth of the shaft leading to the casino, which are usually sufficient persuasion to keep incidents to a minimum. Furthermore, the LeDaren has the support of many of the local pirate and mob bosses, and any perpetrators of crimes against the casino have them to deal with in addition to the internal security force.